Bandar Seri Begawan – Ghanim International Food Corporation is
looking at major retailers such as Tesco and Carrefour to help sell
products registered tinder the Brunei Halal brand to its target
markets, its interim CEO said yesterday.

Noel Shield. Ghanim’s interim CEO, revealed during a workshop for
SMEs involved in the national halal agenda that the company is
targeting markets with “high disposable incomes” with the UK. Middle
East and Europe being the first three.

“That’s where we want to position the brand. We want to position it
as being one of the leaders in the world of quality. And these
countries are the ones that can help absorb the brand more efficiently
and quickly. And they’ve got a population that would pay for a
premium.” Ghanim yesterday briefed SME representatives who participated
in yesterday’s workshop on its plans to develop products that are equal
in pricing to the best the market has to offer. The company also aims
to be a market leader or at least equal to the market’s best in terms
of quality.

Because of this. Local producers cannot sacrifice quality or have
lower quality specifications for price as the brand must he instantly
recognised as a brand that represents guaranteed food safety, food
quality. Manufactured according to the highest values of environmental
and religious law, and a brand that a person can purchase with complete
confidence,” Noel said during the workshop.

Market positioning will depend on consumer confidence, he added.

Ghanim will be looking at developing products around the top I00
products range found in each target market. “This is very important,”
Noel said following the workshop, “because it does two things. It tells
us what exactly what we can choose to develop as far as product range
is concerned. Plus it creates volume.”

“Most supermarkets sell their products by range, which is the reason
why we wanted the products with all the labels displayed. But where you
can put a collective range together is when you can easily do promotion
and marketing.

“One of the supermarket chains that we’ve spoken to, initially, if
we have the depth of range of products, is prepared to give Brunei
halal a position in the supermarket to sell the brand,” he said.

“In all fairness we’ve had some tremendous feedback from big
retailers. Such as Tesco. For a start. Tesco is my main target for the
global side, because they’re across many countries, such as Eastern
Europe. UK, Thailand, China, Korea, India, Indonesia, and the US.”

Ghamin will assist with the challenges faced by local manufacturers,
for example high costs of the supply chain. High labour costs, and high
imported costs of raw materials, but Noel said they must he able to
economically stand on their own feet.

“They can’t afford to go back to the government for assistance all
the time. They have to have their blueprint. costings, their
projections, and then come and sit down with the government and say,
‘This is what I want to do’.” — Courtesy of The Brunei Times